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Posted: 2023-07-25 19:26:55

It's one of the biggest gambles in sporting history, for both sides of the deal. 

Inter Miami and the American Major Soccer League have agreed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars over the next few years to lure a 36-year-old to a competition that struggles to break into nightly news bulletins across the US.

Granted, the man they've been chasing is considered by many to be soccer's Greatest Of All Time.

Lionel Messi is a global superstar. He's the second-most-followed person on Instagram with nearly 500 million followers.

The only person ahead of him is GOAT rival Cristiano Ronaldo, with nearly 600 million.

Even before his debut match in Miami last weekend, Messi mania had gripped the city.

A woman poses as her friend takes a picture of her with a giant mural titled WELCOME TO MIAMI with Messi's face

Already, Messi's arrival in Miami is recalibrating the game in the collective mind of America’s sporting public. (ABC News: Cameron Schwarz)

Colourful murals depicting Argentina's number 10 popped up around town, while local restaurants named menu items in his honour.

But Major League Soccer has done everything possible to capitalise on their superstar new signing, kicking off with a huge party for his unveiling as a new team member.

Building the hype certainly paid off, with 21,000 fans packing into Inter Miami's home ground in Fort Lauderdale to see if Messi could invigorate a team that languished throughout 2022.

Messi fans pose with his Argentina jersey, white and blue stripes with 10 on the back, as another person takes their picture

There were only five days between the official announcement that Messi had joined Inter Miami and his first match for the club. (ABC News: Cameron Schwarz)

There were only five days between the official announcement that Messi had joined Inter Miami and his first match for the club.

And yet, the crowd was awash with official pink jerseys emblazoned with his name. It was obvious that the investment was already paying off.

Laura Machargo and her 11-year-old son Eduardo were at the game, along with thousands of other young fans.

"We live here in South Florida. He's a massive fan, huge Messi fan," she said.

A child wearing a blue and white striped soccer jersey balances a ball on his knee while adults watch on

Soccer has struggled to compete against more established sporting codes in the US, but Messi's arrival is seen as one way of changing that. (ABC News: Cameron Schwarz)

In front of that hyped-up crowd — including two other GOATs, Serena Williams and LeBron James —  Messi delivered.

A trademark free kick clinched the game for his new team and put a spring in the step of those who were betting Messi would finally push soccer to the centre of American sporting discourse.

Messi's unprecedented deal and the Miami drawcards

Lionel Messi had options.

He may be 36, but he's still playing at a ridiculously high level.

He's scored more than 800 career goals for club and country since his 2004 debut as a 17-year-old. 

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